Expressing displeasure over the report submitted by the State Pollution Control Board, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed it to submit a comprehensive report detailing the current status and steps taken for the preservation of the Hamidkunta, also known as Banjara Tank, at Shaikpet in Hyderabad.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing a writ petition filed by Dr Q Hassan of Banjara Hills, alleging that garbage was being dumped in the lake and that a walkway was being constructed through the middle of the water body under the guise of beautification.
PIL seeks protection of British Residency complex
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara adjourned a PIL filed based on a letter from conservation architect Vasanta Sobha Turaga, seeking to declare the British Residency in Hyderabad as a protected monument on par with the Lucknow Residency.
The petition urged authorities to undertake immediate repair and restoration works, particularly focusing on the physics block of the western wing.. It also called for an explanation from the State Heritage Department regarding the prolonged neglect of the monument. Additionally, it sought a redefinition of the Residency Complex’s boundaries.
HC allows Vajpayee statue installation in Cantonment
The Telangana High Court has given clearance for the installation of a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a public garden in Secunderabad Cantonment. The court ruled that the Supreme Court’s prohibition applied only to statues related to caste and religion, with no restriction on those of former prime ministers. A division bench was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Jetty Umeshwar Rao seeking to prevent the installation of the statue.